This article first appeared in the St. Louis Beacon:Missouri can keep protesters 300 feet away from around a funeral without violating free speech rights, a federal appeals court in St. Louis ruled on Friday. The Missouri law had been challenged by the Westboro Baptist Church, which has held hundreds of anti-gay protests around the country in recent years.

Another Missouri town has adopted an ordinance placing limits on funeral protests.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that aldermen in Ballwin on Monday approved a law prohibiting picketing or engaging in other protest activities within 300 feet of a funeral or burial service. Manchester, Clayton and several other cities have adopted similar ordinances in recent months.

The laws are in response to groups like Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka, Kan., which often protests at the funerals of soldiers.

Missouri House members have voted to cap the state's minimum wage at the federal rate. The legislation would essentially overturn a 2006 voter-approved law that lets Missouri's minimum wage rise above the federal level based on annual inflation. Proponents contend capping the minimum wage would help small business. They also say it could be difficult for Missouri businesses to compete if the state's minimum wage is higher than those of neighboring states. Critics defend Missouri's existing law and say legislators should not overrule a measure approved by the voters.